“The drone?” he asked.
“It’ll follow.”
The Hunter headed off. Around him, the berserkers started their bikes. With a nod, Tane headed out first, Selena sitting quietly behind him, resting against his back.
The rest of the squad followed and Dom pulled into line. As they bumped down the track, his relief at being alive dissolved.
The aliens had tricked them. There’d been no bomb. It was still out there, somewhere.
As though she could read his thoughts, Arden’s arms tightened around him. He dropped a hand, touching where her fingers rested on his abdomen.
It didn’t matter. He had a lot to live for now. They’d find the fucking bomb and stop it.
Before, he’d been fighting for redemption.
Now, he was fighting for love.
As they neared the end of the track, two Hawks swept into view overhead. There were also a few smaller, swifter shapes that shot through the air.
Darkswifts. Squad Nine was keeping an eye on the skies.
The track ended at the wide clearing where they’d started. Dom pulled to a stop near the Hunter.
Everyone was battered, but they were alive to fight another day.
“Dom, get your woman into the Hawk,” Griff said. “I’ll get your bike loaded.”
Dom eyed his friend. “I know you’re trying to get me to sit down.”
Griff smiled. “You did get squeezed by alien tentacles. Figured you needed a rest.”
Dom shot his friend the finger.
“Hawk, now,” Arden said, voice firm.
“You getting bossy on me, bella?”
She kept her arm tight around his back. “If I have to.”
Dom waited while Arden deactivated the combat drone. They had a brief tug of war over the heavy device before she sighed and let him have it. He set it down inside the Hawk. Then he boosted Arden in and tried to hide his grimace as he followed, pain flaring.
“Nice to see you guys alive.” Finn appeared in the doorway from the cockpit. “You find the bomb?”
Dom shook his head. “It was a trap.”
“Damn.” Finn looked at his boots, then lifted his head. “We’ll find it.”
Dom dropped into a seat and pulled Arden into his lap.
She nuzzled against his chest. “I feel safe right here.”
“Always, bella. My arms will always be safe for you.”
They held each other, and Dom lost the battle against the pain. He drifted a little, breathing in Arden’s scent.
It didn’t take long to get the bikes loaded. Before he knew it, the rest of his squad was all seated.
“Time to go home,” Arden murmured.
The Hawk lifted off. Yeah, time to go home.
Chapter Fifteen
As the Hawk flew smoothly through the air, Arden stayed curled on Dom’s lap. She’d be happy not moving from this position, ever. Still, it would be a relief to get back to the Enclave.
Suddenly, the Hawk veered sharply to the right, banking into a hard turn. She was flung against Dom’s chest, and all of the berserkers cursed.
“Finn?” Tane called out.
“Hold on,” the Hawk pilot yelled. “We have company.”
Everybody swiveled to look out the side windows. Arden watched several ptero ships whizz past the Hawk, and her heart leaped into her throat.
Memories of that night on the street hammered in her head, and she clamped her nails into her palm.
“Mine!” Hemi leaped up, jumping onto the autoturret mounted on the side of the Hawk.
“Dom…” Her fingers clenched on his arm.
“It’ll be okay, bella.” But there was an intense undertone to his voice.
As Hemi started firing from the autoturret, Tane pushed the side door open, and a rush of wind filled the back of the Hawk. The squad leader lifted his carbine.
All around her, she watched the berserkers tensing, carbines in hand. These men might be rough and crude, but they were heroes to the core, always ready to fight.
As Hemi and Tane fired on the ptero, the Hawk veered again, then pulled upright. Arden clamped her hand onto the seat in front of her. She knew Finn was the best Hawk pilot at the Enclave. He’d get them out of this.
Something struck the quadcopter and it shuddered. Tane swung around and slammed into the side wall.
“There are three of the fuckers,” Hemi bit out.
Arden leaned forward, peering through the windows. The pteros were racing through the clouds. She watched as one of the triangular-shaped ships turned and followed the other Hawk.
Then several smaller, dark shapes shot past.
“Yeah,” Levi cheered.
She blinked and smiled, realizing it was her squad in the Darkswifts. Her pulse pounded. She prayed for her friends to stay safe, and for Squad Nine to take these pteros down.
“Erickson, you there?”
Mackenna’s voice came through the comm in the cockpit.
“I’m here, Mac,” Finn answered.
“We have some smaller, flying aliens on our tails. Never seen them before, but they’re small, fast, and vicious. Managed to tear a good hole in Sienna and Theron’s Darkswift.”
“Wonderful. I see them.” Finn raised his voice. “We have more unfriendlies incoming. No idea what these things are.”
Tane shook his head and looked out the side of the Hawk. Arden watched the man’s muscled body tense.
“They’re birds of some kind. Covered in gray scales and spikes.”
Arden swallowed, and then spotted four of the creatures. They were about the size of a large dog, with leathery, bat-like wings, sharp, black beaks, and a back covered in long, pointy spikes.
Hemi swiveled on the autoturret, and laser fire arced through the sky. “See how you like this.”
The laser fire clipped one of the dino birds. The alien let out a squawk, and its leathery wings flared out. It tumbled in a ball and fell downward.
A ptero swung in close and something shot out of the side of it. A bolt of fire hit the autoturret, and it exploded. Hemi was knocked off his seat by the shockwave, his big body flying back into the Hawk.
“Hemi!” Tane yelled.
The berserker groaned from the floor. “I’m okay.”
Ash hurried over to help Hemi, while Tane eyed the smoking ruin of the autoturret. With a sharp squawk, one of the Gizzida birds flew in close, beak snapping.
Dom’s arms tightened on Arden.
Tane gripped the side of the door and fired his carbine at the creature.
Selena launched to her feet and staggered toward Tane.
“Sit down,” he bit out. He didn’t look away from the scope of his weapon as he kept firing.
Selena ignored him and balanced right at the edge of the Hawk. Tane’s left hand flashed out, clamping around her wrist.
But the alien woman didn’t seem to notice. Her gaze was firmly glued outside. Arden glanced out of the door. Suddenly, the clouds nearby began to boil and thicken. Arden gasped. Selena was somehow controlling the clouds.
Tane kept firing.
The cloud cover hid the pteros from view.
“She’s giving us cover,” Dom said.
Then, without warning, one of the spiked birds flew right into the Hawk. It knocked into Selena, sending her spinning into Tane.
The alien bird landed on the floor of the Hawk. Dom cursed and shoved Arden off the seat, covering her with his body. Around her, the berserkers were shouting and cursing.
She raised her head and came eye to eye with the alien creature.
Above the sharp, black beak were two burning-red eyes. Its spikes bristled around its scaly head. With a sharp squawk, it launched itself forward. Its razor-sharp beak hit the metal floor right near Arden’s hand. It left a dent.
“Oh, God.” She pushed backward and already felt Dom moving. He gripped her armor, yanking her back.
The bird launched forward again. Arden raised her legs and kicked the creature.
/> Before it could attack again, a body moved past her. Dom’s knives flashed in the light. With no fear, he dodged the sharp beak and spikes, and stabbed at the bird’s underbelly.
In that instant, the Hawk turned abruptly, tilting to the left. Arden, Dom, and the Gizzida bird started sliding…right toward the open door of the Hawk.
A scream caught in Arden’s throat. Instinct had her scrambling to grab on to something. She watched as the Gizzida bird flew out of the side of the Hawk with an awkward flap of its wings. In the air, it tried desperately to right itself.
Then in horror, she watched Dom slide out right after it.
Tane lunged for him and missed.
“Dom!” Arden slid closer to the edge, horror and pain exploding inside her. Her eyes stayed glued to her man, watching as he plummeted through the air, away from the quadcopter.
“Dom! Dom!” Her voice broke. No. She couldn’t lose him.
She was about to shoot out of the Hawk herself, when Tane grabbed her with one strong arm. He yanked her back, gripping the edge of the door to keep them in place. He was looking grimly at Dom’s falling form.
“No.” Arden shook her head. “No.” Hysteria welled. “Help him.”
“I can’t.” Tane’s words sounded ripped out of him.
She averted her eyes, unwilling to watch Dom fall, and her gaze snagged on her combat drone still resting on the seat. Her eyes widened. She wouldn’t lose the man she loved.
“Drone, activate.”
Lights blinked on.
“Retrieve!” she yelled. “Retrieve Dominic Santora.”
The combat drone lifted, then shot out of the Hawk, almost brushing her hair as it moved.
She saw it in the clouds, then it swiveled and plunged downward through the sky.
Dom. Please. Please. The words became a prayer, echoing in her head.
Arden didn’t look away. She knew this was a long shot. The combat drone wasn’t designed to carry the weight of a full-grown man in armor.
She gripped Tane’s arm. She’d lost sight of Dom, but she kept staring at the open air below.
Dom. Please. Please.
The Hawk leveled out and there was a silence in the back of the aircraft.
“Guys, what’s going on?” Indy asked.
Arden’s throat closed. She couldn’t speak.
“Dom fell out of the Hawk.” Tane’s voice was harsh.
“No,” Indy whispered.
Arden stared at the clouds below, waiting, waiting.
“Arden, come away from the door,” Tane said quietly.
No. Dom. Please. Please. A tear tracked down her cheek. She couldn’t handle the loss. She couldn’t handle having her heart ripped out of her chest again. Not when she’d only just put it back together with Dom’s help.
“I can’t lose him.” She met Tane’s deep-brown eyes, full of his own shadows. “I won’t survive it again.”
He pulled her closer. “Whatever life throws at you, however hard it grinds you down in the dirt, you keep getting back up. That’s all we can do.”
She shook her head, a sob breaking out of her.
She looked back at the empty sky. Dom.
Suddenly, something shot up out of the clouds. She gasped, and heard Tane suck in a sharp breath.
Like it was drunk, the combat drone wobbled, heading back toward the Hawk. Below it, Dom dangled, hanging on, his face strained. The drone flew in through the side of the Hawk and Dom let go. His body crashed into Arden, and they slid across the floor.
She clamped her arms and legs around him. “Dom, oh, my God.”
“Fuck,” Griff bit out.
“I never want to do that again,” Dom said quietly.
Arden couldn’t hold back her sobs. She held onto him tighter.
“I’m okay, bella. I’m okay.”
Tane slammed the door of the Hawk shut. His chin dropped to his chest. “Hell.”
Then Griff was there. He grabbed Dom in a hard hug.
Arden refused to let him go, holding onto him tightly. His heart beat firmly in his chest, and she clung to the sound. Her sobs morphed to silent tears.
Tane dropped heavily into a seat. He shoved the combat drone onto the seat beside him. “Finn, how we doing?”
“The Darkswifts shot the pteros out of the sky,” the pilot reported. “Alien birds disappeared. Squad Nine is headed back to base with the other Hawk.”
“Thank fuck,” Hemi muttered.
“Dom okay?” Finn asked.
Tane glanced at Dom. “Doubt he’s planning to take flying lessons any time soon.”
Arden felt Dom’s fingers flex on her. Hysterical laughter welled in her chest. Trust the berserkers to make a joke about a life and death situation.
“Get us home, Finn,” Tane said.
Dom scooped Arden into his arms and she buried her face against his neck. He sat with her in his lap.
“Thanks for rescuing me, bella.”
A half laugh, half sob ripped out of her. Something in his tone said he wasn’t just talking about saving him from the fall.
Then he sank a hand in her hair and tipped her head back. She stared at those dark eyes, that handsome face. Hers.
“I love you, Dom.”
Something flared in his eyes—a volatile mix of emotion.
“Before, I had a safe, easy, predictable life. I loved it. I loved my husband and our children. Now that life is gone. I’ll always remember it, cherish it. But life moves on. The sun still rises, babies are born, people die.” She cupped his stubbled cheek. “I want to wake up with you every day. I want to make a life with you that’s anything but safe or predictable.”
He dropped his mouth to hers and kissed her.
And he kept kissing her. Long, drugging kisses.
Both of them were heedless of the laughter and wolf whistles around them. There was only the two of them, and they took their time.
When Dom did lift his mouth from hers, Arden felt more than a little lightheaded. She saw Griff was grinning widely at them. Nearby, Selena had a small smile on her face that looked almost wistful.
“I don’t know much about love, bella,” Dom said. “But the way I feel about you overwhelms me. I know I’m yours. And together, you can teach me about love.”
“Tell me,” she said.
“I love you.”
“In Italian.”
“Ti amo.”
She pressed her nose to his, cupping the side of his head.
He lowered his voice. “I’ll whisper other things in Italian to you later.”
With another hiccupping laugh, she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.
Before she knew it, they were landing back at the Enclave.
When Tane opened the side door, the general was standing there, waiting with Squad Nine. Arden’s squad all looked sweaty and tired, their damp hair stuck to their heads.
When Roth caught her eyes, the man’s gaze swept over her. He eyed Dom suspiciously, but when Arden smiled, Roth relaxed and nodded.
As soon as Hemi climbed out of the Hawk, Cam appeared. She threw her arms around her man and he bent her over, kissing her noisily.
Hell Squad moved over to join the group, having landed just before them.
“The bomb was a fake,” the general said.
Tane nodded. “Gizzida planted a nice little trap for us.”
A muscle ticked in Holmes’ jaw. He pressed one hand to his hip. “We rest. We regroup. Then we find the damn thing.”
All around, the soldiers nodded.
“We do what we do best,” Arden said.
Everyone turned around to look at her.
“We persist. We keep trying. We never give up.” She leaned into Dom. “We all have too much to live for.”
* * *
Nate
Nate Caldwell made his way silently through the trees, his axe resting on his shoulder. As he neared the clearing ahead, he heard a sound overhead and froze.
A quadcopter shot by, a
n alien ship following closely behind. Laser fire arrowed through the air, and then he lost sight of them.
Quietly, he stayed in the shadow of the trees, waiting to see if he could glimpse or hear anything else. He’d heard the commotion to the north earlier. The humans had fought another skirmish with the aliens.
He hoped the soldiers had given the scaly bastards hell.
He stared into the sky where he’d seen the aircraft. A part of him, the warrior, wanted to grab his weapons and join the fight.
Fight. Kill. Protect.
Gritting his teeth, Nate tamped the battle urge back down. Thinking of soldiers made him think of his old team. For a second, the Blue Mountains disappeared, and instead there was hot desert sun, the sound of laser fire, the shouts of his fellow Marines.
Then there was pain and the rich scent of blood.
His fingers dug into the handle of his axe. He dragged in a deep breath. Then another. And another.
For the next few minutes, Nate worked through his breathing routine until his pulse rate slowed.
The breathing techniques were the only thing he’d taken from the short time he’d spent with a therapist after he’d left the Coalition Marines. That had been long ago. After a different, long-gone war.
That battle was long gone, like his fellow Marines.
Nate let out a sharp whistle and his dog bounded out of the trees. The blue heeler was lean and fit. He rubbed the dog’s head. “Come on, Blue. No more fighting for us.”
After several deployments in the Middle East, Nate had come back from war to his family home in Colorado. He’d had trouble adjusting and settling back into regular life. PTSD, they’d told him. There had been medication, group therapy, prolonged exposure therapy.
He shifted the axe, and crouched down to pick up the pile of wood he’d chopped earlier. He tucked the wood under his arm.
Nothing had helped him back then. He’d had horrific nightmares, angry outbursts at his worried family, then he’d started drinking. After that, he’d started fighting.
He blew out a breath
Nate had been drowning, and when he’d broken a man’s jaw and another man’s arm in a bar fight, he knew he was spiraling down and nothing could stop it.
Then he’d learned that he’d inherited a cabin in the Australian Blue Mountains, from a great-aunt. Old aunt Janine had been a battle-axe. The few times he’d seen her as a kid, she’d scowled at him and told him not to bring his dirty shoes inside her house.
Dom: Hell Squad #18 Page 12
